List of Manx people

The Manx (Manx language: ) are an ethnic group from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. They are often described as a Celtic people on the basis of their recent Goidelic Celtic language, but their ethnic origins are mixed, including Germanic (Norse and English) and Norse-Gaelic lines.

Actors

• Samantha Barks (born 1990), actor and musician
• Jamie Blackley (born 1991), actor
• Tom Holland (born 1996), actor
• Amy Jackson (born 1992), actress known for work in Indian films
• Evie Killip (born 1992), actor, BBC radio actor, voiceover
• Joe Locke (born 2003), actor of Manx ancestry
• Dursley McLinden (1965–1995) actor, dancer, and singer
• Anthony Quayle (1913–1989), actor of Manx ancestry

Armed forces

• Robert Henry Cain (1909–1974), army major and Victoria Cross recipient
• Fletcher Christian (1764–1793), naval officer and mutineer on HMS Bounty
• William Garrett (1842–1916), Medal of Honor recipient in American Civil War
• Peter Heywood (1772–1831), naval officer and mutineer on HMS Bounty

Artists

• Rayner Hoff (1894–1937), Manx-born Australian sculptor
• Bryan Kneale (1930-2025), sculptor
• Archibald Knox (1864–1933), designer
• Paul Lewthwaite (born 1969), sculptor
• Chris Killip (1946–2020), photographer and Harvard professor

Musicians

• Dan Auerbach (born 1979), US musician of Manx descent
• Isla Callister, Manx folk musician and fiddle player
• Barry Gibb (born 1946), musician: Bee Gees
• Maurice Gibb (1949–2003), musician: Bee Gees
• Robin Gibb (1949–2012), musician: Bee Gees
• Ruth Keggin (born 1989), Manx Gaelic singer-songwriter
• Davy Knowles (born 1987), musician: Back Door Slam
• Harry Manx (born 1955), Manx-born Canadian musician

Politicians

• Illiam Dhone (William Christian, 1608–1663), nationalist and politician
• Robert Quayle Kermode (1812–1870), Manx-born Tasmanian politician
• Dan Quayle (born 1947), Indiana Senator and Vice President of the United States, of Manx descent
• Sir Miles Walker (born 1940), politician: first Chief Minister of the Isle of Man

Scholars

• Martin Bridson (born 1964), mathematician
• Jennifer Kewley Draskau (died 2024), historian, linguist, teacher and political candidate
• Edward Forbes (1815–1854), naturalist and botany professor
• John Kelly (1750–1809), lexicographer and Bible translator into Manx
• Sir Frank Kermode (1919–2010), professor of English
• Randolph Quirk (Lord Quirk, 1920–2017), linguistics professor and life peer

Athletes

• Jonathan Bellis (born 1988), cyclist
• Mark Cavendish (born 1985), cyclist, winner of 35 Tour de France stages
• Mark Christian (born 1990), cyclist
• Conor Cummins (born 1986), motorcycle road racer
• Tara Donnelly (born 1998), gymnast
• Zoe Gillings (born 1985), snowboarder
• David Higgins (born 1972), rally car driver
• Mark Higgins (born 1971), rally car driver
• Darryl Hill (born 1996), snooker player
• Peter Kennaugh (born 1989), cyclist
• Tim Kennaugh (born 1991), cyclist
• Dan Kneen (1987–2018), motorcycle racer
• David Knight (born 1978), enduro motorcyclist
• David Lyon (born 1943), cricketer
• Keith McQuillan (1944–2022), footballer
• Dave Molyneux (born 1963), sidecar racer
• Millie Robinson (1924-1994), cyclist, winner of the first Tour de France Féminin in 1955
• Kieran Tierney (born 1997), Manx-born footballer, Scottish international

Writers

• T. E. Brown (1830–1897), poet, scholar and theologian
• Hall Caine (1853–1931), novelist and playwright
• Cyril Clague (c. 1880–1946), poet and dramatist
• Mona Douglas (1898–1987), poet and folklorist
• Eliza S. Craven Green (1803–1866), poet
• Jane Holland (born 1966), poet, performer and novelist brought up on Man
• Sarah Holland (born 1961), writer, actress and singer
• Josephine Kermode (pseudonym Cushag, 1852–1937), poet and playwright
• Nigel Kneale (1922–2006), screenwriter
• Charlotte Lamb (Sheila Holland née Coates, 1937–2000), romantic novelist
• Sophia Morrison (1859–1917), folklorist
• Esther Nelson (1810–1843), poet
• Hilary Robinson (born 1972), children's author
• Christopher R. Shimmin (1870–1933), playwright and politician
• Thomas Shimmin (1800 – c. 1876–1879), poet and rag-gatherer
• Brian Stowell (1936–2019), writer, broadcaster and translator into Manx language
• George Waldron (1690 – c. 1730), topographer and poet

Others

• George Q. Cannon (1827–1901), Mormon apostle
• Richard Costain (1839–1902), founder of Costain Group
• Colonel Routh Goshen (Arthur Caley, 1824–1889), giant and circus performer
• Nina Hunt (1932–1995), Latin American dance coach and choreographer
• Abdullah Quilliam (1856–1932), Victorian Muslim brought up on Man

See also

• List of residents of the Isle of Man
• Lists of people by nationality
• Manx people

References